Flexible shaft-coupling.



Patented July 1; I902. G. C. HICKS, .In. FLEXIBLE SHAFTGOUPLING.

(Apphcahon filed Feb 96 1902) in mm.

' Wiisnessesi Attorney onms PETERS ca. inmmu'mo" WASHINGTON, n. c

THEN

UNITED STATES GEORGE C. HICKS, JR, OF CONNERS P. H. F. M. ROOTS COMPANY,

VILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE OF CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA.

FLEXIBLE SHAFT-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Application filed February 26,1902. Serial No. 95,651.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C.'HICKS, Jr. a citizen of the United States,residing at Connersville, Fayette county, Indiana, (post-office addressConnersville, Indiana,) have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flexible Shaft-Couplings, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention,pertaining to improvements in flexible couplings forrotary shafts, will be readily understood from the followingdescription,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure Us a face elevation of my improved coupling, a portion of thenearer flange being broken away to expose the construction be-. hind it,certain studs of this broken-away flange appearing in vertical section;Fig. 2, a side elevation half-vertical diametrioal section of thecoupling; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the transmitting-rope, on areduced scale, indicatingits course, crossings, &c.; and Fig. 4, aperspective view of one of the links employed at the crossing of therope.

In thedrawings, 1 indicates a flange adapted to be secured to the end ofone of the shafts to be coupled, which shaft will be assumed as thedriving-shaft; 2, a flange to be secured to the other member of the pairof shafts, which member will be considered as the driven shaft, thoughit may be stated that it is quite immaterial which of the two flan gesis employed as the driver; 3, a circumferential series of studsprojecting from the inner face of the driving-flange toward the otherflange; 4, a similar series of studs projecting from flange 2 towardflange 1, both series of studs being arranged concentric to the commonaxis of the twoflanges, the studs 4. being upon a smaller circle thanstuds 3, but of equal number therewith; 5, circumferential grooves inthe projecting portions of all of the studs, the devicebeing illustratedas provided with three sets of these grooves arranged, respectively, inthree planes parallel with each other and with the faces of the flanges;6, a continuous rope engaging all of the grooves of all of the studs,its course, circumferentially considered, being around the outer portionof the larger circle of studs 3 and the inner portion of the smallercircle of Patent No. 703,582, dated July 1, 1902'.

(No model.)

studs 4:, the rope thus zigzagging from a stud of one seriesto a stud ofthe other series, and so oncontinuously; 7, one of the crossings of therope where its course leads from the middle set ofgrooves to one of theexterior sets; 8, the other crossing of the rope where its course leadsfrom the other exterior set; and 9 links applied at the crossings of therope, these'links being formed each with a double eye to fitthe rope,the two eyes of the link being twisted into planes slightlyoblique toeach other.

In Fig. 1 the parts are illustrated in condition resulting from thedriving strain. When theparts are idle or not under studs AC standfarther in advance-say about angularly midwaybetween the outer studs.The driving strain in the direction of the arrow applied to flange 1causes the outer studs to angularly advance relative to the inner onesuntil the strain of the rope is sufficient to impart full motion toflange 2. The rope being non-rigid endows the system with the capacityfor elastic transmission of the motion from one flange to the other, andit is obvious that the transmission will not be interfered with by theaxes of the two flanges being thrown out of line with each other withinlimits whether such disturbance of alinement be eccentric or angular.The individuality of the rope members permits of very considerabledisturbance ofalinement without interferin g with satisfactorytransmission of motion. Couplings have been produced with wide flatwrapping-connectors zigzagging over studs in the flanges; but the widthof such single wrapping-connector is seriously lacking in the peculiarflexibility of the present system with its plurality of rope members.The zigzagging wrapping-connectors in couplings of this classhavealsobeen-formed of a plurality of rope windings; but in either case theconstruction has been such that the wrapping-connector, whether flat orin rope form, required to substantially fill the space between the facesof the two flanges in order to prevent improper displacement, the resultbeing, first, that there was a serious limit to the angular flexibility0f the coupling; second, that the extreme sides of the wrappingconnectorwere subject to wearing contact strain, then the center set of groovesto with the flanges, and, third, that in the case of the rope form ofconnector the strands were capable of relative displacement and liableto undesired wear upon each other. This dependence on the relationshipof the two flanges in their distance from each other to maintain thewrapping-connector in proper position involves the necessity for specialmeans for insuring the tautness of the wrapping-connector under allconditions. In the construction herein set forth it becomes possible torealize the peculiar merits of the rope system without depending uponthe sidewise relationship of the flanges to maintain the strands inproper position. In other words, each stud takes care of all of the ropestrands engaging it at its point of office Without help from thecontiguous flange-faces and without necessity for the strands lyingagainst each other. The faces of the flanges may thus assume decidedangles without aifectin g the relation of the rope strands to each otheror to their studs.

In applying the rope suflicient is taken to make the round of thegrooves three times. A point about the middle is selected and thewinding started both ways around in all the grooves of one set. Thisbrings the rope together in the same line of grooves at a point oppositethe starting-point. At this point the rope is crossed and provided witha link 9 to maintain the crossing. The rope ends are now coursedbackward in the second set of grooves, and having traversed this set theropes are again crossed and provided with a link, after which the ropeends are traversed forward again in all of the third set of grooves, therope ends meeting and then being spliced.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a shaft-coupling, the combination,substantially as set forth, of a pair of flanges adapted to be securedto the shafts to be coupled, circumferentiallygrooved studs projectingfrom the face of each flange toward the face of the other flange, thestuds being arranged in a circular series upon each flange and the twoseries being concentric with each other, and a rope engaging grooves ofall of the studs, zigzagging from within the smaller circle of studs towithout the larger circle of studs and free of the faces of the flanges.

2. In a shaft-coupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, ofa pair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled,studs provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves andprojecting in circular series from one of the flanges toward the other,a similar series of studs arranged in a smaller circle upon the secondflange and projecting toward the first flange, and an endless ropearranged in zigzag course and engaging all of the grooves of all of thestuds and free of the faces of the flanges.

3. In a shaft coupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, ofa pair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled,studs provided with a plurality of circumferential grooves andprojecting in circular series from one of the flanges toward the other,a similar series of studs arranged in a smallercircle upon the secondflange and projecting toward the first flange, an endless rope arrangedin zigzag course and engaging all of the grooves of all of the studs,and double-eyed links applied to the crossings in said rope where itdiverges from one set of stud-grooves to the other.

4. In a shaftcoupling, the combination, substantially as set forth, of apair of flanges adapted to be secured to the shafts to be coupled, studsprojecting from the face of each flange toward the face of the otherflange, the studs being arranged in a circular series upon each flangeand the two series being concentric with each other, a rope engaging allof the studs, zigzagging from within the smaller circle of studs towithout the larger circle of studs and free of the faces of the flanges,and means carried by said studs and engaging the rope and serving toprevent its sidewise displacement upon the studs.

GEORGE C. HICKS, JR.

Vitnesses:

E. D. JOHNSTON, J. M. SHADE.

